


Long Enough

by orphan_account



Category: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TV 2012)
Genre: AU, F/M, To Be Continued?, but it kinda got out of hand, kinda sad, this began as dialogue for a little comic thing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-01
Updated: 2020-08-01
Packaged: 2021-03-06 00:14:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 889
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25654237
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: It's been over two years since Donnie met April.Two years of fighting evil together.Two years of being friends.Two years of hugs, and saving each other, and kisses on the cheek.And two years of nothing more.Donnie's been waiting long enough.
Relationships: Donatello/April O'Neil (TMNT)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 15





	Long Enough

**Author's Note:**

> This is sad. It ends sad. You have been warned.  
> If I see enough interest in this, maybe I'll write a second part with a resolution.

"What is up with you, Donnie?"

Donatello stopped in his tracks. He slowly turned to meet her gaze. "What do you mean?" he asked, obviously trying to sound casual.

April wasn't buying it. She knew that look.

"You've been avoiding me all week, D."

"Oh. Avoiding, seems like a strong word. I've just...been busy doing...stuff," he finished lamely. He cringed inwardly. Gosh that was an awful excuse.

"Yeah, doing stuff with everyone but me!" April interrupted. She raised her hands. "Look, I'm not begrudging you time to do other things, but what happened to us just hanging out? In the past few days, you've been avoiding even sitting next to me. Was it something I did?"

Donnie opened his mouth in denial, then snapped it shut it again.

He gazed down at her, and something changed in his demeanor, like some uncertainty had been set aside. April wasn't sure she liked it.

"Yeah, it kind of was- I mean is!" He turned around and facepalmed. "Alright, get it together Donatello," she heard him whisper to himself.  
He took a deep breath, then turned to face her again.

"April, do you like me? As more than a friend?"

Now it was April's turn to gape and snap her mouth shut. "I- We're...we're best friends Donnie, of course I like you-"

"As more than a friend," Donnie repeated firmly.

April couldn't answer him.

Donnie nodded, almost imperceivably, and looked away from her. "April, I've wanted us to be more than friends pretty much since the day I met you." He slid one hand up his arm. "I think you know that. Have probably always known that. And," he swallowed, "as we got closer, you just kept...doing things that made me hope, made me think maybe it was possible..."

"Donnie-" April started.

Donnie put a hand up. "No, don't interrupt me, April. It's been long enough, and it's about time I said my peace."

April shut up.

Donnie continued. "Intentionally or not, you've been leading me on. And then at every turn," his voice wavered a little, and she could feel the hurt and rejection in his tone, "every moment it could have gotten more serious, you shut me down." He put his hands out, finally looking back at her directly. "How am I supposed to live with this?"

April glanced down and shook her head, her mouth opening and closing as she tried to come up with the right words. "Donnie, I- I'm sorry," she looked back up at him, "But, I was just doing friend stuff and I didn't think there was anything unresolved-"

He grabbed her shoulders. "You kissed me once. Actually kissed me on the lips. And we never talked about it again."

April's eyes went wide, and she stiffened unconsciously.

Donnie's eyes widened back, and he hurriedly took his hands off her arms. He sighed and glanced away. "I just...I just can't function like this anymore. I've dealt with it, brushed it off, waited for years, but...apparently it's never been something you wanted the same way I did."

"I think it'd be better for both of us if we just, back off. Stop being quite so close." Donnie's tone was dull and distant.

April shook her head, unable to process what he had just said. Donnie was never like this. Distant? With her? He couldn't just do that, they were friends- She frowned.

He wasn't -no, he couldn't mean forever, could he? The fight went out of her immediately at the thought, and she blinked against the sudden moisture in her eyes.

"We can, still be best friends, though, right? Just best friends?" She was surprised at how pleading her tone sounded.

Donnie looked at her with pain in his eyes. She almost wanted to punch him then and there for how bad that look was making her feel. "I'm sorry. I can't do just 'best friends'." He turned around, head down, and fiddled with his shoulder strap. His voice was so quiet, she could barely hear it. "It just...hits too close to home."

"Donnie," she tugged on his shoulder trying to get him to turn around. "Donnie, please, just...just look at me." No, this was wrong, he couldn't leave, she had to fix this.

The turtle shook his head, his mask tails flowing in the wind. He himself stood still as a pillar, his back still to her. "I'm sorry, April." His voice was soft and shaky, like he too was on the verge of tears.

The sound tipped April over the edge, and tears began to fall before she could stop them.

She tightened her grip on his shoulder, as if she could fix things, keep him here and keep him hers just by sheer willpower.

Both of them knew she couldn't.

"I'm sorry I waited so long," he said, one last time, before he gently broke her grip and stepped away.

April watched his back retreat toward the farmhouse, frozen between the desire run after him and fix this, fix this, and the fear of making everything worse that rooted her to the ground.

She had done this, all the times she got a little too close, or shut him up, or egged him on.

And that blasted, blasted kiss.

How could they ever fix this?


End file.
